Change (Updated Version)
by loboazul.vival
Summary: TMNT AU. The only constant in life is change. You can't hide from it. You can't lie about it. In hopes of finding out what happened to them, the guys must face situations they may not be able to deal with as well as the aftermath of their actions. In the process, they might figure out what and who mutated them. And why.
1. Chapter 1

**Leonardo**

 _"_ _Hey, Lame-a-nardo! Wan_ _na_ _play?"_

 _Four first graders were walking up to him. The two girls, Alex and Mia Diaz, where twins. They had short brown hair and mud brown eyes. They were not considered tall or threatening, but people would got out of their way as quickly as they could. Possibly because the massive amount of perfume they wore would make your eyes sting and your lungs struggle for air. Their faces were pale like marble with too much makeup caked on. It seemed like their faces were stuck wearing an expression of disgust and superiority. The Diaz twins worked as a team; Alex was the brains of the operation, while Mia did all the heavy lifting. Students had learned early on that if you made one twin mad, the other was sure to make you pay for it._

 _The other two boys were Rick Butler and Bill Griffin. Every time they moved, people could almost see their blubber like skin jiggle around. Rick had red hair and brown bead like eyes. He looked like a fat red headed squirrel. Some poor soul had made the mistake of calling Rick that once. He was never seen again. Rick's sidekick, Bill, was actually seven years old. He was held back because he failed PE. Bill had rusty brown hair and the same bead like eyes as Rick, making everyone think the two were related. Donatello said that it was the only explanation as to why the two shared one brain cell._

 _"Thats not my name!", he yelled with all the bravery he could muster. Why had someone thought that combining the first grade class with the kindergarten class for recess was a good idea?_

 _"Oh! I'm sorry",called Mia, her nose scrunching as she talked, "would you prefer if I called you Freak?"_

 _"Because thats what you are, you know?", continued Rick, "wanna know how I know?"_

 _"No, because you're a mean person!", he yelled with all the strength in his lungs hoping that a teacher would hear him. Thats what his father had told him to do in cases like this._

 _"Am not!", yelled Bill. He walked up and shoved him backwards. He tripped and fell on his butt with a thud._

 _"You shouldn't call people mean, that'll make them not like you!", Rick kicked him in the stomach so hard he though he was going to throw up the breakfast he hadn't eaten._

 _"Yeah, and you gotta do what we say because we're big and you're small!", Alex said as she kicked him in the face._

 _Soon all four first graders were kicking him, not hard enough to bleed, but they were defiantly going to leave a bruise. Rick seemed like he was trying to impale him with his shoe. Alex and Mia were wearing small heels, making the kicks to his back much more painful. Bill had gotten tired of kicking and started punching whatever he could reach._

 _"You're such a freak, Lame-a-nardo! Not even your mom wanted you! She died after just looking at you!"_

 _He tried not to cry. In his mind's eye, he could see himself fighting them all. He could picture himself getting up and making them bleed and hurting them in the same way they hurt him. In reality, however, he was too shy to do it. He tried to block out the pain in his stomach and back, but what Bill had yelled kept ringing in his ears. Maybe his mom really had left because of him._

 _Where was Raphael when you needed him?_

 _Suddenly Rick stopped kicking him. He heard a small voice in the distance, then small feet running towards them. The next thing he knew, Bill started yelling, "Get her off! Get her off!". Next there was no one kicking or punching him. Slowly, he sat up. What he saw would have made him laugh if he wasn't in so much pain. There was a girl was on Bill's back, tugging at his hair. She was about his age, with tan skin and really long brown hair. She was riding Bill like an enraged bull, and he couldn't help but be in aw. This girl, who he had never seen before, had stepped up and helped him when no one else had._

 _She looked like she was enjoying herself, until Bill finally got a hold of her and slammed her into the ground. She couldn't get up fast enough, and now the first graders were surrounding her._

 _'I have to do something', he thought._

 _He mustered all the courage he could and tried to channel his inner Raphael._

 _"Get off of her!", he yelled as he threw a punch at Rick._

 _He quickly found that Rick's skin only looked like blubber; hitting him was like hitting a rock. When that didn't do anything, he moved on to Bill, only to find that his skin was even tougher then Rick's. He couldn't hit the girls, because his father said that wasn't what gentlemen did. So, he just kept hitting Rick and Bill, trying to at least distract them from his defender._

 _"Whats going on over there?", a teacher asked. Like a flash, the bullies stopped kicking the girl and ran. He had never seen Bill run so fast. Alex and Mia almost tripped on their heels. Rick actually did trip on his untied shoe. Before he got up, Rick looked back at him and gave him a death glare. It sent a shiver down his spine._

 _He looked back at the girl and saw she was still on the floor panting. She reached into her jean pocket and took out an inhaler, like the one he had seen Raphael use on occasion. She took to two puffs and started to laugh. No knowing what else to do, he reached out his hand to help her up. She looked up and smiled. When she took his hand, he felt like he was going to throw up. She had a button nose and her chubby cheeks were flushed. Her chestnut eyes were wide with adrenaline. Her hair was full of dirt and there were twigs sticking out of it. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen._

 _"That was so fun! Did you see the look of the fat kid when I jumped on his back? Priceless!", her voice was high pitched, but in a sweet way. It reminded him of his mom's voice._

 _"Are you okay?", she asked. She was tilting her head to the side, a puzzled expression on her face._

 _'You're staring', he realized._

 _He quickly cleared his throat, "I'm fine. They just kicked me around, nothing new.", he was trying to sound brave. His father said that he should always be brave, especially in front of a girl._

 _She sighed with relief. Her mood quickly changed and she stomped her foot. "Ugh, I hate bullies! Don't their parents teach them manners?"._

 _He just nodded in agreement. Honestly, he wasn't listening to the conversation, he was to busy looking at the girl._

 _"What is you name?", he asked._

 _"Danielle. But most kids call me Danni."._

 _In the distance, the school bell rang telling them that recess was over. Danni started to walk towards the school. She looked back when he didn't follow, "Well, are you coming?"_

 _Shaking his head, he jogged to catch her. It was then that he realized she hadn't asked for his name. "My name is Leonardo. Leonardo Henderson."_

 _She looked at him at him curiously, " 'Leonardo'? That sounds like a grown up name. And you don't look like a grown up."._

 _She started to look him up and down, as if looking for something. He wasn't sure of what, but he liked when she lifted his arm._

 _"What are you doing?", he asked._

 _"Thinking of what to call you. 'Leonardo' is to complicated."_

 _"But my name is Leonardo.", did he not just tell her that? Besides kids already called him 'Lame-a-nardo', he didn't want to add another name to the list for Raphael to torture him with later._

 _"Yeah I know, but I don't like the way it sounds...", she circled him slowly, "so I'm gonna call you..."_

 _"I'm not a dog-"_

 _"Leo!", she jumped up and down with excitement. When he didn't join in the joy, she looked at him timidly. "Is that okay? Can I call you 'Leo'?"_

 _He thought about it. He liked his name the way it was. His father was always telling him that his should be proud of his name, and he liked how the guys struggled to pronounce it; especially Michelangelo. Yet, Danni had so much hope in her voice. He didn't want to make Danni sad, and a small -big- part of him liked the way Danni said it._

 _"Yeah, its okay."_

Leo gasped. He hadn't had a thought about her in years. Ever since his family and him had moved to Japan, he had done his best not to think about Danni. It was just too painful. Even after three years, Leo still felt the sting of their last conversation. The fight seemed so stupid now, he didn't even remember what it had even been about. And what happened afterwards…

That memory was still a bit fuzzy. Something about them getting attacked… and him visiting her at a hospital… and then, nothing. Leo couldn't remember what had happened next. The last clear memory that Leo had of that day was his father and him arriving to their small apartment in Japan. Everything in between was a bunch of flashbacks and memories that didn't really make sense.

Leo had been having strange dreams for about a month. They were all of things he had experienced; him getting to Japan, his father's death, him getting adopted by Yoshi along with the guys. They were all memories, but somehow different. In all of them, they felt somehow inorganic, like they hadn't actually happened how he remembered them. What he had just experienced, his first meeting with Danni, felt different. It had felt solid.

It had also left him exhausted. Leo could feel the sweat dripping down his face. He felt dizzy and off center, as if he had been on one of those roller coasters Mike loved so much for hours. Taking a deep breath, Leo slowly opened his eyes and tried to remember where he was. Based on the dim light, it was early in the morning. Probably around three or four. He was in his room on the floor, meaning he had probably been meditating. As his eyes adjusted to the light, Leo saw that his room was almost empty. There were some boxes here and there, but his desk was gone. He looked towards his closet, which he could see was empty aside from some metal hangers.

'Thats right,' he thought, 'we're moving back today.'

After three eventful years in Japan, Master Yoshi had decided that it was time to move back to New York. Leo wasn't sure why, since there was nothing there waiting for them. But Master Yoshi seemed very determined to go back, and Leo trusted their mentor. Besides, its not like he had a choice. Hemato Yoshi was their legal guardian, so whatever he said was law.

With a sigh, Leo finally got up. He walked towards his suitcase. From the doorway, he could hear Raph teasing Mike about how much cereal he ate. He could almost picture Don rolling his eyes from the couch, trying to eat in peace.

'Almost like real bothers.'

Leo ran his hand through his black hair. He was really going to miss this place. There were so many memories here, both good and bad. All his bothers had grown in so little time. All he had learn and been taught. All the birthdays. All the fights between Raph and him. So much had happened in this house… and yet not all of it felt real. It almost felt as if-

"LEO! Dude, hurry up or we're leaving without you!", Raph yelled from downstairs.

"I'm coming!", with a final look, Leo shut the door and walked downstairs.

The car ride to the airport was mostly quite. Master Yoshi sat in front, talking politely to the driver. Mike was bouncing in his seat and looking out the window, his uncombed shaggy blond hair getting in his face. It seemed like he couldn't decide on whether he wanted to leave or stay in Japan. Don sat quietly in the middle, reading a giant physics text book. How he could read without getting car sick, Leo would never know. As for Raph, he was texting away. Either to his best friend Li or some heartbroken girl. Raph had been the most lucky in the romance department. Sure, Leo had had a girlfriend – soft of -, but Raph brought a different girl home each month. It was the 'bad boy' attitude, Don explained. Every girl at school would swoon over his multiple ear piercings and the tattoo on his shoulder. Raph thought that Master Yoshi didn't know. Leo didn't know why Master let him think that.

Leo sat in the back alone. He wouldn't admit it to his brothers, but he was actually pretty nervous. They would be starting school in the middle of sophomore year. They were probably going to have a lot of material to catch up on. It wouldn't be a problem if he were like Don, who was a quick learner. But Leo had to work his ass off just to get a B. It might help that the material would now me in English, but Leo doubted that would give him an edge. Even if he didn't have to translate his homework, he still struggled with concepts. Especially when it came to physics. The only reason he passed was because Don was nice enough to tutor him.

Leo still couldn't shake Danni's memory from that morning. There was a nagging voice in the back of his head telling him to keep going. But, keep going where? Having that memory of Danni felt like taking a cold shower. He had felt more grounded then he had felt in years.

'What does that mean?', he wondered.

"Still texting with Danni, Raph?", Don asked with a teasing tone.

Hearing her name sent a shiver through Leo's body. He hadn't known that any of the guys were in contact with her. For some reason, it bothered him. He should have kept in contact with her. Even if their friendship had ended on a bad note, he still cared for her.

Right?

"Yeah, shes pretty excited about seeing us." Raph nervously chuckled. His brown hair was mess from him running his hand through it continuously.

"No dude, I think she's more excited to see _you,_ ", Mike teased, "I mean, you two have been talking none stop for, like, two years!"

"So?", Raph asked defensively.

"So… are you going to make things official with her or not?", Don asked.

'Make what official?', Leo thought.

Leo had no idea what the guys were talking about. Why were they making such a big deal about Raph talking to Danni? It's not like they hadn't talked before. Leo could remember how, before they moved, Danni and Raph would spend hours talking. When his brothers and Leo had developed their… condition, she would come to Leo's house everyday after school to check up on them. She would pay attention to all of them, but it always seemed like she gave most of her attention to Raph. Somewhat bitterly, Leo remembered that Danni and Raph had had many inside jokes, often making fun of him as well as his brothers.

The thought of them making something official made Leo's skin crawl.

"Make what official?", Leo asked out loud.

"Whats it to you?", responded Raph somewhat aggressively.

"Nothing. I was just curious. I didn't know you had kept in contact with her is all."

Raph chuckled, "Yeah well, why would you."

"What is that suppose to mean?", Leo asked.

"Guys, can you please not fight about this?", Mike pleaded, his baby blue eyes looking from Leo to Raph with concern.

"He has a point though,", Don said, "we have all talked to Danni except for you Leo. Won't it be a bit awkward now that we all go to the same school again?"

Leo took a pause. Everyone had talked to Danni except for him? That didn't sound right. Leo was sure that he had talked to her at least twice since they had moved. Yet when he tried to recall their conversation, all he got was fuzzy images. He couldn't firmly grasp any sort of conversation with her.

"Look, if it makes you feel any better,", Raph said, "she asks about you."

"She does?", Leo couldn't help the hope that filled his voice.

"Yeah, she always makes sure that your still alive," Raph chuckled, "it's more then you've ever done. Or deserve."

That last comment took the wind out of him. Flashes of memories came to him. Images of Danni and him fighting, her throwing stuff at him and telling him to get out. He heard her yell in the distance ' _You want to keep me safe?_ '. More images of her in a hospital bed, her being hooked to many machines while the heart monitor beeped with her slow heartbeat. In the distance he could hear his late father telling him that leaving was the only way to keep them all alive. And then a flash of light, Danni was looking up at him. Her long hair was wet from the rain, her chestnut eyes were red from crying.

' _Leo_ … _I love you..."_

If he had looked up, Leo would have seen Don looking at him. His amber eyes full of dread.


	2. Chapter 2

**Danielle**

' _I can't wait to see you tomorrow. Theres a lot I wanna tell you',_ Raph wrote.

Danni smiles, ' _We talked on the phone yesterday! How much could you possibly tell me that you haven't already?_

 _'maybe I just like talking to you… 'sides, this time ill see you live and in high definition'_

She chuckled. Raph could be such a dork. Before she could reply, her phone vibrated again.

' _we're about to board. Text you later beautiful'_

Okay, now she was blushing.Raph had never called her that before. Sure, Danni knew Raph liked her, but now that he was coming it all seemed real. Maybe a little too real. It seemed like Raph had all the intention of making something official with her, but Danni wasn't sure she was ready. Yes, she liked Raph, but it felt like there was something in the way.

'It's Leo...'

No. She refused to think that he had anything to do with it. She rejected the idea of him having any power over her. The only good thing that came out of that friendship was that Danni had been introduced to Raph and the others, along with Master Yoshi. Everything else had been a complete waste of her time.

'That's not true...'

Stop it! She wanted to be done with Leonardo. She didn't want to make excuses for him anymore. Danni wanted to forget about the green skinned jerk who broke her heart.

Danni sighed and looked at the clock by her bed. It was midnight. Danni had been up since five in morning, agonizing about the Hemato's arrival. She wasn't stressed about the others. They didn't talk much, but whenever she talked to either Mike or Don it was almost as if nothing had changed. After they had apologized and explained what had happened, it was like hitting the reset button. They all laughed and cried during that call, and in the end Danni felt they're friendship had mended completely. She hadn't spoken with Master Yoshi, but she felt no hostility towards him. He was and will always be her mentor.

She looked back at the clock. Twelve fifteen.

With a sigh of defeat, Danni turned on her desk lamp. It's not like she was going to get any sleep. She sat up and stretched, her back pooping several times in the process. She looked around for her sweater, the one April had given her as a house warming gift on the day of her adoption. Her eyes spotted the it near her closet, next to her full length mirror. Danni hated mirrors, but Mrs. O'Niel had insisted on it. She couldn't say no. Danni got up and retrieved the sweater, stealing a glance at herself. Her short asymmetrical hair was a birds nest. The green was fading away, Danni would have to fix that before Raph arrived. Her light brown eyes looked dull from the lack of sleep. Overall, she looked a mess and like she could use a shower.

She stepped out of her room and headed to the bathroom down the hall, when she heard the faint noise of the TV. Danni rolled her eyes. April must of fallen asleep again watching one of her shows. Danni made a detour downstairs to turn it off, but stopped behind the couch. There were two heads instead of one.

'Great,' she though, 'hes still here.'

Its not that Danni didn't like Casey, because she did. Hell, she even dated him for a bit. It was just that since he started dating April, he seemed to always be at the house. He had dinner with them once a week, came to game and movie night, and did homework with April everyday after school. Danni wouldn't be surprised if Casey had some of his cloths in April's closet.

April was leaning her head on Casey's shoulder, his arm around her protectively. Ever since she had been diagnosed with **FOP, Casey had made it his personal mission to keep her out of harms way.** **No one could blame him. One too many hits, and April could stop moving. Thats probably why their parents let Casey in so often.** **Seeing the two lovebirds like this always made Danni nostalgic.**

 ** _Her ACL was killing her. Don had said that his dad would give her something to make_** ** _it_** ** _better, but so far all it did was increase the pain. Not that she didn't believe Dr. Coleman, but she wished that whatever was supposed to happen would happen already._**

 ** _"Are you uncomfortable?", asked Leo. He had insisted_** ** _on_** ** _stay_** ** _ing_** ** _with her. If she hadn't let Leo stay,_** ** _he would've just sneaked back in later. It wouldn't be the first time._**

 ** _"A little. I fe_** ** _el_** ** _like my leg is on fire.", she chuckled. She had a habit_** ** _of laughing_** ** _when she was in pain. April told he_** ** _r_** ** _it was creepy._** ** _By the look on Leo's face, he probably thought it was creepy to._**

 ** _She couldn't tear her eyes off of Leo. It had just been a few weeks since she had found out of their… condition, and she was still getting use to it. Not that she was grossed out or anything. He was still Leo, only with green scales for skin. Sometimes, she was tempted to run her hands along his arm, just to feel how rough his skin had become. The one time she tried, however, Leo had freaked out and told her not to try it again. He hadn't yelled, but the seriousness in his voice told her not to push it. Still,_** ** _the lime green tint of his skin brought out the ice blue of his eyes._**

 ** _"… Danni? Did you hear me?", Leo asked. He was looking at he curiously, his head tilted slightly to the side._**

 ** _'_** ** _You're staring.'_**

 ** _"Um, no. Sorry. What did you say?", she could feel her cheeks starting to burn. She had to stop staring at Leo so much._**

 ** _"I asked if it would help if you l_** ** _ied down?"_**

 ** _"Oh, yeah maybe," she started to put her feet up, when Leo cleared his throat._**

 ** _"What if you laid your head on my lap?"_**

 ** _When she hesitated, Leo began to stutter, "I- I mean, so you can still_** ** _watch_** ** _the television."_**

 ** _She smiled. Leo was always so cute when he was embarrassed. With a nod, she turned her body so that her head would land on his lap while her legs were on the arms of the couch._**

 ** _"Better?", Leo asked. His hand starting to lightly play with her hair. Personally, she would have cut it ages ago but she knew that Leo liked playing with it._**

 ** _"Perfect.", she sighed with content._**

 **** **A tear ran down Danni's face. That night had been perfect. Leo** **nardo** **had stayed by her side all night and carried to bed when she fell asleep.** **Being thirteen, Danni had been naive enough to think that Leo** **nardo** **had felt the same way about her. That he loved her. Yet when push came to shove, Leo** **nardo** **had proven how little he cared for her.**

 **Danni** **wiped away the tears and** **went to the kitchen and got a glass of water. She set it down as quietly as she could on the table next to Casey. He jumped slightly when she got close, but not so much as to wake April. Seeing the glass, he thanked Danni with a nod. His chocolate brown eyes were heavy with sleep, but Danni knew he would** **n't** **fall asleep while April was in his arms. Every moment was** **precious** **with her.**

 **"How is she?", Danni whispered as she took a seat on** **the** **adjacent chair.**

 **"** **She's good,", Casey said with a yawn, "better then yesterday."**

 **April had been down yesterday. She kept saying how she was a burden to the family and that everyone should just let her go. Mr. and Mrs. O'Niel were at their wits end with her. They didn't know how to make her understand that they didn't see her as a burden. Both Danni and Casey tried** **all day** **to cheer April up. They took her to the movies and then to the park, but it only seemed to make things worse. April refused to go on the swings or down the slide in fear that she would fall and hurt herself. Neither Casey nor Danni knew what to do anymore.**

 **"** **So," Casey attempted to stretch as much as he could, " I heard the boys will be back in town."**

 **"Yup."**

 **"And...", Casey was doing that thing when he was nervous. He poke** **d** **out his** **tongue** **through the gap of his teeth.**

 **"What is it, Jones?", Danni didn't like where this was going.**

 **Taking a deep breath Casey asked, "Are you going to** **obsess** **over Leo again?'**

 **'What?'**

 **"** **What?", Danni couldn't believe what she was hearing. Was Casey implying that she would what, go after Leonardo like when they were twelve?**

 **"Well…** **I mean… Leo is the reason we broke up-"**

 **"Are you kidding me, Christopher? Leonardo had nothing to do-"**

 **"Oh come on Dan," Casey gave his signature smart ass smirk that Danni hated, "for the whole two months we dated, you were always comparing me to him. Saying how he did this and that-"**

 **"I did no such thing.", Danni denied, "I was grieving! I was remembering all the things that had always irritated me about him-"**

 **"I don't buy that and neither do you,", Casey said, "we would fight** **all the time** **until I broke it off-"**

 **"Then why are you complaining? You have April now-"**

 **"Trust me, I'm not complaining at all. I'm actually very** **thankful** **."**

 **Ouch. That stung.** **As a fiend,** **Danni** **guessed that it was a wonderful thing to say. But as a girl that had dated him…**

 **"Dan, I just don't want you to get hurt again.", Casey said.**

 **Danni sighed, "Casey, do you honestly think I would go for Leonardo after what happened. He left without looking back. Its been three years and he never checked if I was alive. Didn't even pass along a message** **with** **his brothers," Danni paused. She wasn't sure why she felt the need to explain herself, but she felt like she need to get him to see her point. "Do you really think I could ever be with someone like that?"**

 **Casey's face twisted in confusion. Danni could almost see the gears in his head struggling to turn.**

 **"So you don't want to go out with him?"**

 **"No Casey,", Danni exhaled. This was** **possibly** **the most uncomfortable conversation she had had with him.**

 **She had to lighten the mood, "if anything, I would go out with Raph."**

 **"W** **hoa** **, you and Raph? Big, scary,** **easily** **irritable Raphael?"**

 **Danni chuckled, "Well yeah. I mean he's hot, and funny, and brave, and those arms..."**

 **"Ugh, please. Spare me."**

 **Danni laughed quietly. Just like that, Casey was back to being the big dork he had always been.**

 **A** **t two am, Casey finally carried April to bed. After Danni saw him to the door, she went back to April's room. Sometimes, she liked to watch her sleep. April** **always looked like she was carrying the weight of the world. Like it was her responsibility to make everyone happy, while also keeping everyone at arms length so they wouldn't** **get** **hurt. It had taken Danni a long time to convince April to go out with Casey. April was afraid about not being enough for Casey, since she had to be more careful then anyone. Danni was ecstatic when they finally went on a date. She knew that Casey would take care of April. She didn't know how, but Danni would bet anything that Casey was without a doubt head over heals for April.** **And for the past three years, Casey had been nothing but a gentlemen. Danni could almost hear wedding bells in the distance.**

 **Danni likes to watch April sleep because it was one of the few times she seemed to relax. She barely moved, but Danni could see the worry fade away. The tension she always walk with disappeared and she became more flexible. The only other time April was this relaxed was when she was with Casey.**

 **Its how Danni use to feel with Leo** **nardo** **.**

 **Leo** **nardo** **use to make her feel many things. Safety. Courage.** **Like she was a part of something. Being in the foster program, she didn't have many things that grounded her to one spot. It wasn't until she met the guys that she began to feel grounded.** **They became her family. They did everything together. Every day, they would play together at recess and would walk home together at the end of the day. When they got older, they would do homework and later train** **together** **. When the green skin first appeared and they got pulled out of school, she would spend all the time she could at the Henderson house. It was a bit hard, because there was a set hour she had to get back to the group home.** **Danni** **never really understood why all the guys suddenly moved into Leonardo's house, but it was convenient for her so she didn't question it much.**

 **After the first Purple Dragon attack, Master Yoshi intensified all their training. There were more hushed conversations between the parents, especially between Mr. Henderson and Dr. Coleman.** **It almost felt like they were preparing for something. It was around that time that Leonardo started to pull away from her. It was subtle, but she could feel him emotionally peeling himself away from her. The others** **soon followed** **, but it didn't hurt as much.**

 **When the Purple Dragons, along with some weird ninja** **s** **, attacked the school Danni had been badly injured. From what Mrs. O'Neil had said, a part of a wall had fallen on her, crushing three ribs and putting her in a coma for 3 weeks. When she came to, the first thing Danni did was ask for Leonardo, only to learn that the others and he had left for Japan a few days prior.**

 **Soon after that, she was moved to the O'Neil's foster home. Danni and April became really close friends, since they both had a sort of disability. Danni with her broken ribs and concussion, April with being** **recently** **diagnosed with FOP. Danni also started dating Casey, the neighborhood wanna be hockey player.** **It had only lasted two months, but w** **hat he had said earlier was true.** **Danni** **had compared him to Leonardo. To be fair though, Danni had compared everyone to Leonardo and the guys. She was too angry to realize she was hurting others. It wasn't until April sat her down that Danni accepted what she had been doing.**

 **And now Leonardo was coming back. She would be lying if she didn't admit her curiosity. Danni wondered if he had changed as much as she had. If he would feel any guilt upon seeing her. A part of Danni wanted to confront him. She wanted to throw in his face all the hurt and rage she had** **endured** **because of him. However, Danni could predict how bad of an idea that was. She could almost hear Master Yoshi lecturing about taking the moral highroad, and to be like a river over stone.** **Besides, she** **had other things to worry about besides boys.**

 **Danni hadn't brought it up, but she had received a mysterious note a few days ago. The note claimed to be form her birth father. She had never wanted to find out more. She had lucked out in the foster system, always landing in good foster homes and** **never having** **any problems with authority. Danni had been content. Even now, she didn't see the need to follow through with this note. It could just be some creep. Yet, her curiosity was getting the best of her.** **Danni started wondering for the first time who this man was and where he had been. Did he have another family?** **Why d** **id he want to reconnect with her?**

 **She had been about to ask Mr. O'Neil if he had any information, but changed her mind at the last minute. The O'Neils had been extremely good to her. She didn't want to seem ungrateful. There was also April to think about. Danni didn't want to as an unnecessary worry to her.** **And its wasn't like she had to know right at that moment. If this man really wanted to meet her, he would wait.**

 **With noting else to do, Danni booted up her computer. She didn't have much to go by, but Danni needed some answers. She didn't want to rely on the O'Neils for information. It's not that she didn't trust them, it was just something she had learned while in the system. You can't trust anyone one-hundred percent of the time.**

 **Her first thought was to look up her mother, Olivia Clark. Danni knew she** **was a** **moderately famous dancer in Jersey, but not much else.** **Danni had never really bothered to look her up, preferring to move on rather then obsess over it like the other kids. She knew Olivia was alive, but figured there was probably a reason why she had left her behind. Whether good or bad, Danni didn't really care.**

 **Looking her up now felt weird, as if Danni was somehow stalking her. There was nothing useful anyway. She found that Olivia had been divorced, but recently remarried and had two kids. She was doing well for herself, moving to California and getting a small part in a movie. Danni felt slightly envious, but the feeling quickly passed.**

 **She was about to call in a night, when a link caught her eye. It said that Olivia had had an affair in her first** **marriage. There wasn't much about it, only that it was with an unknown stunt man from a short film** **Olivia had participated in** **.** **On a hunch, Danni looked into the crew of the film. She took out the note she had** **received.** **It was signed with the initials C.B. Danni only found one name on the crew that the initials could be** **referring** **to; Chris Bra** **dford. Looking him up, there wasn't much about him. He lived in New York, had no known family, and was a trained MMA fighter. He had been in some movies recently, but none that Danni had seen.** **There wasn't much of his personal life either. No mention of an family or social group connections. He seemed like a bit of an outcast, much like Danni.**

 **She glanced at her clock, telling her it was almost three in the morning.**

 **D** **anni s** **ighed 'At least its Friday,', she thought, 'don't have to be anywhere tomorrow.'.**

 **Closing her laptop, Danni headed to her bed. She might as well try to get some sleep. She had a feeling she wouldn't be getting any in for a few weeks.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Raphael**

' _we're about to board. Text you later beautiful'_

Raph sighed. Danni really had turned him cheesy. Shaking his head, he turned off his phone and tried to get comfortable.

After a two minutes, Raph realized that he wasn't going to 'get comfortable' any time soon.

He had Mike on his left, bouncing and humming along to one of those dub step songs he liked so much. On his right, Leo looked like he was about to throw up. The pill usually had that effect on him. All four of them had to take it before they got out of the taxi. It took about five minutes for it to take affect, but it took about an hour for all the side effects to somewhat wear off. Raph wasn't exactly complaining; anything to get rid of the dark green and scales on his skin, but he would've liked it if Don had made something that didn't taste like fish. He'd gotten use to it, after almost four year of having to take the damn pill just to be able to go outside. Not that there had been a reason to. All of their parents moved to the Henderson house and started to home school them. Dr. Coleman and Ms. Foster had pampered Mike and Don more than usual; they stopped the guys from training until Master Yoshi convinced them otherwise. Danni came to visit them everyday, keeping them company until she went back to the group home.

Raph smirked. Danni was the most amazing person he had ever met. She was smart, confident, strong and all around fun to be around. Not to mention that she was very pretty.

Raph tried to contact Danni a year after he arrived to Japan. The guilt from not saying goodbye to her started to eat at him, as well as everything that had gone down. The attack, her getting hurt, their separation. How Leo had convinced everyone that leaving Danni alone would be the best thing for her was beyond Raph. He couldn't believe he let Leo talk him into it.

 _"_ _It's the best thing for Danni. To protect her-"_

 _"_ _We have to leave her? Thats a bunch of shit Leo and you know it!", he slapped the table in his frustration. He couldn't believe what he was hearing! Yeah, those guys that attacked them had put Danni at risk, but she held her own. Besides, no one could tell him that Leo wanted to stay away from Danni._

 _"_ _Raph, come on man-", Mike tried to intervene._

 _"_ _Can it Mikey! You don't get what Leo is saying do you?"_

 _"_ _Of course I do, I'm not stupid! I just think-"_

 _"_ _Michelangelo, Raphael. Maybe we should let Leo finish-," Don held both hands up in surrender._

 _"_ _Oh big surprise! You take his side like always!", he yelled at Don's face._

 _"_ _I don't always-"_

 _"_ _ENOUGH.", Leo roared._

 _All of us immediately quieted down. He hated to admit it, but Leo intimidated him whenever he spoke like that. There was so much authority in his voice, Leo didn't sound like a thirteen year old kid._

 _When all eyes were on Leo, he continued, "Look, I don't like it either. Danni has been my – our – best friend for years. But based on what my father has told me, it makes sense to leave her."_

 _"_ _What exactly did your daddy say, Fearless? Whats going on with us?", he asked. Looking around, he could tell Mike and Don had the same question._

 _Leo sighed, "The less you know, the better. And yes, I know thats not the answer you guys are looking for. But this is really serious."_

 _"_ _So you do know what's happening?", asked Mike._

 _"_ _Yeah I do. And its not pretty.", Leo looked around the room. There was discomfort and desperation written all over his face._

 _"_ _Look guys, do you really think I would be making such a big deal if it wasn't really bad? Do you think our parents would be acting this way if it wasn't bad?"_

 _He hated to admit it, but Leo had a point. All the adults were acting weird. They were all talking in hushed tones, always careful of saying something in front of him and the others._

 _"_ _So, do we all agree?", Leo asked._

 _He looked at Mike first, then Don. He could see that this decision_ _was tearing them both apart. In Mike's case, he loved Danni almost as much as he did Leo. Both of them acted of Mike's parents, so it made sense for Mike to be at a cross roads. It was probably also reminding him of his mom's devoice._

 _As for Don, it was more of that he didn't know everything that was going on. Don was a control freak like that; he had to know what was happening at every second of every day. He knew that Don didn't really have a problem with ditching Danni. Don would follow Leo to the ends of the earth if Leo asked._

 _With a sigh, he looked up at Leo. As much as he hated to admit it, Leo loved Danni; Leo would never leave her if it weren't for the best._ _This was probably tearing him up inside. It couldn't have been easy. And while he didn't see how this could be good, Leo did. And he trusted Leo._

 _For now._

 _"_ _Okay, I'll do it."._

Thinking back on it after three years still made Raph's blood boil. There had had to be a better way. If the others would've followed him instead of Leo, Raph knew he would've done a better job. If the adults would've trusted him with the situation, Raph would've figured something out. But like always, Leo was the one everyone trusted. He was the 'chosen one', the wisest, the oldest, the most selfless… Fearless. Leo could do no wrong. Leo always had a plan. Even when they were kids, Leo would always pick the game, pick the teams, and even be referee! It was ridiculous. It was true, Raph admitted, that Leo barely screwed up and always did the right thing. But that didn't make him better then him. Raph was the second oldest, but he was stronger and faster. He was quick on his feet. He might not be a brainiac like Don, but he was street smart; Raph knew how to blend in. He could read people and gain their respect. When they had all moved to Japan, Raph and the others were moving targets. They didn't speak the language or dress like the other students. It took a couple months, but Raph made friends that had connections. They weren't exactly popular, but they were respected. It was through those friendships that Raph got Mike and Don protection from bullies.

He didn't really know what happened to Leo. Raph had seen him walk the halls now and then, but he always seemed distant. For the first year and a half, Leo moved as if every step took all of his energy. He looked miserable; Raph would go as far as to say he looked guilty. Leo would talk to them only when necessary, and when he did it was always with an edge; especially with Mike. At first, Raph thought it was because Ms. Foster began to date Leo's dad, but Mike insisted that it was because Leo blamed him for something. Whatever it was, it only got worse when Mike and his mom moved in with the Hendersons. After that, Mike just started to avoid Leo as much as he could. Whenever the two crossed paths, Leo would send Mike death glares. When Raph confronted Leo about it, he was told to stay out of it.

While Mike was taking all of Leo's shit, Raph watched as the once mighty fell. Leo seemed to be mentally deteriorating before his eyes. With each passing day, Leo seemed to stray farther away from society. Master Yoshi tried to help, but it didn't seem to do much. On one occasion, Raph passed by while the two were meditating. Master Yoshi seemed calm, collected as he always was. Leo on the other hand was sweating and shaking. When Master Yoshi noticed, he had to physically pull Leo from his trance. It was the first time Raph saw Leo cry.

Things only got worse when their parents died.

It happened a year and a half after they moved. Raph's parents had been working from home for a while, which struck him as odd. Not many pharmaceutical companies would let their employees work from a distance. When Raph questioned it, his mother told him she wanted to spend more time with him. Raph never believed that for a second.

But regardless of the reason, his parents had been working none stop lately. Something about a deadline and that there would be terrible consequence if they failed. The night that they dissapeared, Raph happened to hear part of their conversation.

 _He had come down to the kitchen for a drink of water. He wasn't supposed to be up, so he had to be really quiet. If his Dad caught him out of bed again, his Dad would think that he was sneaking off again and would punish him._

 _He stopped short of the kitchen door when he saw the lights on. Weren't his parents supposed to be in bed?_

 _"Raphael is the one that has suffered!" his dad yelled."_

 _"_ _He's fine. He made friends, he's been getting around-", his mom said, trying to sooth his dad._

 _"_ _It's not about that Lisa! Our son is GREEN!"_

 _He gasped. He had never heard his dad talk about his… condition before. Usually, both his mom and dad avoided the subject as if it were an infectious disease. They wouldn't talk about it, wouldn't say what caused it, or if there was any cure for it._

 _"_ _We're working on fixing it,", his mom sighed, "we've been working our asses off Henry-"_

 _"_ _But for who? Not for Raphael, not for the kids! Frederik doesn't even know we're doing this and when they find out-",_

 _"_ _They won't. They can't,", his mom said shakingly. She sounded scared, almost desperate, "he threatened to kill them if-"_

 _"_ _Oh come on Lisa! He's going to kill them anyway! We should just go to Lewis and-"_

 _"_ _NO!"_

 _He jumped form his hiding spot. He couldn't remember the last time his mom had yelled. Slowly, the backed away and walked back to his room._

Raph still had so many questions about that night. Who was the 'he' his mom and dad had been so scared of? And what was it that they had been working on? Obviously, it was something to do with their… condition, but what? Was it a cure of some sort? And why didn't they want to tell Dr. Coleman and the others?

All those questions would go unanswered it seemed. The next morning when Raph woke up, his parents were gone. He had gotten ready for school, like he did every morning. He got to school on time with Master Yoshi and Don, like he did every morning. It wasn't until he got sent to the principles office after the first bell that things began to go from bad to worse.

In a span of an hour, Raph learned that not only were his parents missing, but so were Mr. Henderson, Ms. Foster, and Dr. Coleman. There was supposed to be some sort of PTA meeting that morning, and none of them had shown up.

After six weeks of searching his parents were presumed dead.

It all happened so fast after that. Master Yoshi adopted them all. They all continued training, of course, but now as a 'family'. Well. At least thats what Raph told himself. He took it upon himself to take in Mike and Don. The three became inseparable, and in some ways everything went back to normal. Mike idolized Raph now instead of Leo, and Don confided in him. Leo on the other hand began to loose it. He lost his temper with every little thing, he looked a mess; like he hadn't taken a bath in weeks, he wouldn't talk to anyone. Master Yoshi tried everything from intensive meditation to extreme training. There really wasn't a change in Leo's attitude until Don began talking to him again. Within weeks, Leo began to talk and interact with all of them again. Whatever Don had said, it must of helped.

The weird thing was when Raph brought up Danni. He had wanted to contact her and asked if anyone else wanted to. Mike and Don happily said yes, but Leo didn't say anything. He got up and walked out of the room. Hours later, its as if the incident had never happened. Raph never asked him about it.

"Hey, Raph?"

Raph slightly jumped. He had been so deep in his thoughts that he hadn't realized that they had taken off. He looked to his right to see Leo looking at him, his head slightly tilted.

"Did ya say somethin'?", Raph asked.

"Oh, nothing. It just you looked miles away,", Leo said with a small smile.

Raph grunted, not knowing what else to say. This is what he hated about their relationship now; he could never talk to Leo. It use to be so simple when they were twelve, but now…

Raph gave Leo a once over. It didn't look like he was going to throw up anymore, but it looked like he had just gotten out of a nightmare. Raph could see sweat on his forehead, his black hair sticking up at weird angles. With the pill in his system, Leo's pale skin made his blue eyes look ice cold. There was confusion and frustration written all over his face; Leo's brow was scrunched with concentration while his eyes kept darting from place to place. From all these vague body signs, Raph knew Leo had something on his mind.

"Spit it out Fearless,", Raph said.

Leo tensed, "W-why did you say I didn't deserve Danni asking for me?,", he said with uncertainty.

'Because you're a self absorbed prick', Raph thought, but instead just sighed.

"Look man,", Raph began, "we all left. Without saying anything. We could've been dead for all she knew."

"No, I went to say goodbye. I did. And then she threw a book at my head and told me to leave."

Raph just stared at Leo. He sounded so convinced, that Raph almost believed what Leo had said. And even though it sounded like something Danni would actually do, that was not how things had happened. Was Leo pulling his leg or something?

"You're kidding, right? You think you went to say goodbye to Danni and that she threw a book at you?"

"Well, yeah. I mean-"

"You are so full of shit Leo!", Raph interrupted him. He just couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"You, along with all of us, left Danni in a coma without leaving as much as a note! We ran like a bunch of sissies to the earliest flight to Japan-"

"Then how come she's talking to you? If we all left how you say we did-"

"Because I tracked her down and apologized. Mike apologized. Even fucking Don apologized. But you were so caught up in you're head-"

"I wasn't! I was just-"

"What? What were ya doing?"

Leo sighed, "Look, Danni didn't want to see me, she made that perfectly clear-"

"You were the only one she wanted to see! For a really long time all she talked about was you!"

Leo looked at Raph as if he had a second head. The look of utter disbelief morphed slowly into a look of fear, and then guilt.

"Raphael… I think I made a terrible mistake."

This took him by surprise. Leo never admitted he was wrong. Ever. "What do you mean dude? You talkin about the Danni thing, 'cus yeah you fucked up pretty bad-",

"No Raph I mean-"

"See I told you if we had just done things my way, none of this would've happened and we would still be-"a

"Raph!", Leo quietly yelled. The sound of his voice made it clear that Raph shouldn't interupt again.

Looking at him, Raph could see that something was eating at Leo. Something was beginning to tear him apart and for once, the Fearless leader didn't know how to deal with it alone.

"What is it Leo?", Raph asked, scared of what the answer could be.

Taking a deep breath, Leo said, "I- I don't… I don't remember what happened. Not really."

Quick side note:

Last chapter, I talked about an illness called FOP. It stands for **Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva.** This is a real and rare illness. Essentially, what occurs is that the connective tissue gradually becomes bone, forming a sort of exoskeleton. The process is accelerated when a person receives a cut of a bruise. As of now, there is no definitive treatment.

In my story, April is still in the early stages; it has become difficult to move her neck and shoulders, but is still able to walk.

If you would like to learn more about FOP, here are some of the links I used for my research:

. /diseases/6445/fibrodysplasia-ossificans-progressiva

. /condition/fibrodysplasia-ossificans-progressiva


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